Author Lowdown with Dianna Hardy

Who is your favourite author?

Ooo … there's not just one – that's too hard! I love J.R. Ward and Larissa Ione for the plots they throw in with their romance. But I used to read so many books and so many authors. Nowadays, I'm writing more than reading, but I have in the past loved James Herbert, Richard Laymon and Stephen King.

Are there any new authors that have grabbed your interest?

I'm always looking :)

Which character was the hardest to write and why?

Gwain from The Witching Pen series, because he's very introvert. He really didn't like me getting into his head at all, and in some ways he's still a bit of a mystery to me.

Why did you choose to write romance?

I don't know if I really chose to write romance. I love to write about character interactions within all sorts of relationships and as an aside to that (or maybe as a bonus to that), I love, love, love writing sexy, steamy scenes, so my books sort of became “romance”, but I would say they are more urban fantasy with a healthy dose of eroticism and romance thrown in.

What kind of romance is your favourite style to write?

The kind where there are no rules and you don't know if things are actually going to work out. I like it gritty.

If you weren’t an author, what would you have ended up doing?

If there were no obstacles and I could be anything else, I think I'd like to direct films, or to be a photographer. Both of those are about telling stories, but in a very visual way – that's right up my street :)

Do you have any rituals/habits when you write?

Not really. Get a cup of tea or coffee, take a deep breath and begin. It also helps if I have the flat to myself.

What would be the weirdest one?

Seriously, I am soooo boring when I write ;)

Your house is burning and you have to grab five things - what would you grab?

Laptop, Kindle, wallet, daughter, phone. (Not necessarily in that order!)

What would you let burn then tell no one about? (eg. Tiny Tim LP, 80’s style clothing etc)

OMG, I don't know if I dare say it in public!

What is on your current and upcoming release schedule?

My last two releases were The Last Dragon (which concluded The Witching Pen series) and Heart Of The Wolf (Eye Of The Storm #3). The next year is looking something like this:

* 31st January, 2014 - Heart Of The Wolf paperback published.
* 17th June, 2014 - standalone, (slightly witchy) romance novel, The Spell of Summer
* October, 2014 - Return Of The Wolf (Eye Of The Storm #4)
* April, 2015  - book one of a new, dark, erotic paranormal fantasy series planned for publication

Where are your books available?

You can find everything on my own website under books:  The navigation is super-easy :)

Thanks so much for having me on your blog!